Sri Lanka election violence on the increase

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 March 2004, 00:49 GMT]The Police Election Secretariat said Saturday that it receives daily at least ten complaints related to election violence from political parties. From February 17, the first day political parties started submitting their nomination list at the district election offices, until this Friday the Election Secretariat has received 373 complaints, Police sources said.

Highest number of complaints has been reported from Ratnapura district, which is in the Sabragamuwa province, police said.

Meanwhile, a Colombo Magistrate Friday ordered remand for five suspects, said to be supporters of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), when they were produced in court on a complaint that they had attacked and damaged the office of a senior minister of the United National Front government Mr.Ravi Karunanayake.

The suspects are said to be close associatesof JVP leader Mr.Vimal Weerawanse.

JVP is the major constituent of the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

In another development Sri Lanka's President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, wrote to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission Mr.Ranjith Abeyasuriya Friday to remove a police officer from Dambulla, a town far away from Colombo. Ms.Kumaratunge indicated that his presence in Dambulla would hinder holding a fair election, sources said.